Big Brother

According to Sociology, conformity is defined at the behavior and appearance that follow and maintain the standards of a group. Also, the acceptance of culturally valued goals and the pursuit of those goals through means defined as legitimate. The textbook relates social control, deviance and conformity to The People’s Republic of China, but the first thing this chapter reminds me of is a book a read pretty recently, George Orwell’s 1984.

George Orwell’s 1984 was a classic novel in terms of content, plot and because many of their key terms and concepts. 1984 political/science-fiction story about a region called Oceania, a society ruled by a dictator of “the Party,” where the party surveillance controls the public minds which is administered by inner party members. Any behavior or physical appearance that is socially challenged or condemned because it departed from the norms and expectations of the party would result in prosecution. The people of Oceania where controlled to such an extent that even their thoughts and reasons were controls by "thought police", and if anyone behaved otherwise, they would be prosecuted for “thoughtcrimes.”

The party uses various methods to teach, persuade and force the people of Oceania to comply with and not deviate from its norms and expectations. They had Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Love and several other established government organizations to deal with brainwashing and torture and keep the people of Oceania under control. This novel was later made into a film starring John Hurt, where he tries to rebel the totalitarian society by falling in love.